Novel plasmonic 0D Ag nanocrystal decorated 3D (BiO)2CO3 hierarchical microspheres were fabricated with a one-pot hydrothermal method. The as-prepared samples were systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photolu...

A new Pyrex-based μ-reactor for photocatalytic and optical characterization experiments is presented. The reactor chamber and gas channels are microfabricated in a thin poly-silicon coated Pyrex chip that is sealed with a Pyrex lid by anodic bonding. The device is transparent to light in the UV-vis-near infrared range of wavelengths (photon energies between ~0.4 and ~4.1 eV). The absorbance of ...

Crystal facet engineering of semiconductors is of growing interest and an important strategy for fine-tuning solar-driven photocatalytic activity. However, the primary factor in the exposed active facets that determines the photocatalytic property is still elusive. Herein, we have experimentally achieved high solar photocatalytic activity in ultrathin BiOCl nanosheets with almost fully exposed ...

Highly exposed facets TiO2 attracts enormous attention due to its excellent separation effect of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and induced high performance of photocatalytic activity. Herein, a novel hydrothermal etching reaction was used to synthesize graphene-wrapped TiO2 hollow core-shell structures. Different with the reported co-exposed facets TiO2 single crystal nanoparticles, the pr...

Water pollution from emerging contaminants (ECs) or emerging pollutants is an important environmental problem. Heterogeneous photocatalytic treatment, as advanced oxidation treatment of wastewater effluents, has been proposed to solve this problem. In this paper, a heterogeneous photocatalytic process was studied for emergent contaminants removal using paracetamol as a model contaminant molecul...

photocatalytic membranes exhibit great potential for water treatment since they combine the filtration and photo degradation in a single unit. although blending photocatalytic nanoparticles into polymeric thin film remains the simplest method to prepare the photocatalytic membrane, the entrapped photocatalyst showed less catalytic activity due to the agglomeration and shielding effects in the p...

Extracellular matrix (ECM) mineralization is a physiological process in bone and a pathological one in soft tissues. The mechanisms determining the spatial restriction of ECM mineralization to bone physiologically are poorly understood. Here we show that a normal extracellular phosphate concentration is required for bone mineralization, while lowering this concentration prevents mineralization ...

The objective of this study was to determine whether ultraviolet-light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) could serve as an efficient photon source for heterogeneous photocatalytic oxidation (PCO). An LED module consisting of 12 high-power UV-A (lambda max = 365 nm) LEDs was designed to be interchangeable with a UV-A fluorescent black light blue (BLB) lamp for a bench scale annular reactor packed with s...

Defective bone mineralization has serious clinical manifestations, including deformities and fractures, but the regulation of this extracellular process is not fully understood. We have developed a mathematical model consisting of ordinary differential equations that describe collagen maturation, production and degradation of inhibitors, and mineral nucleation and growth. We examined the roles ...

Plastic products are used in almost all aspects of our daily life. Due to their low cost, portability, durability, and resistance degradation, these affecting the health environment biota on a global scale. Thus, removal mineralization microplastics is an important challenge 21st century. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have recently been identified as viable treatment technique for tacklin...